Daily News

UK — Equality Bill passed by House of Commons

09 April 2010

The new Equality Bill has been rushed through its approved by the House of Commons because of the election and will enter the statute book this week. The majority of the provisions in the Equality Act 2010 will come into force in October, with the implementation of some provisions being delayed until next year to allow organisations across the public and private sectors time to prepare.

Some of the provisions will be subject to implementation only through subsequent regulations, such as the equal pay audits, so these may well be changed or even discarded altogether if the government of the day so decides.

Rachel Dineley, employment partner and head of the Diversity and Discrimination Unit at law firm Beachcroft LLP, said "the new law has been a long time coming and the sooner we see the harmonisation of the law in a single Act, the better. Our current discrimination legislation, which governs so much in the workplace and beyond, has often been inconsistent and difficult to interpret."

"A single set of rules, and some simplified language, will be welcome, but with change come challenges. There is no doubt that the Act will be heavily relied on and tested by employers and employees as soon as it comes into force in October."

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